Haftarah of Tzav

Yirmeyahu 7:21 - 8:3; 9:22 - 9:23

Yirmeyahu was the prophet who warned of, and witnessed, the Destruction of Jerusalem. This prophecy, of which the Haftarah is the second half, was delivered at the Beit HaMikdash itself, and began by condemning the prevalent attitude of complacency and the belief that G-d would never destroy His own house. The prophet denounces the commonly held attitude that they can act however they please - rob the helpless, swear falsely, worship pagan gods - and then go to the Beit HaMikdash to bring sacrifices, and expect G-d to be pleased.

The Haftarah begins by G-d rejecting the disproportionate importance that the Jewish People placed on sacrifices, pointing out that His priority had always been that they should listen to Him and follow His ways.

21) So says Hashem Tzva-ot, the G-d of Israel: Add your sacrifices to your offerings, and eat meat.	(כא) כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָא-וֹת אֱ-לֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם סְפוּ עַל זִבְחֵיכֶם וְאִכְלוּ בָשָׂר:
22) For I did not speak to your ancestors and did not command them, on the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt, regarding sacrifices and offerings.	(כב) כִּי לֹא דִבַּרְתִּי אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא צִוִּיתִים בְּיוֹם הוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עַל דִּבְרֵי עוֹלָה וָזָבַח:
23) Rather, it was this that I commanded them, saying: Listen to My voice! Then I will be your G-d, and you will be My nation, and you shall walk in every path that I command you, so that it would be to your benefit.	(כג) כִּי אִם אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה צִוִּיתִי אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר שִׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵא-לֹהִים וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי לְעָם וַהֲלַכְתֶּם בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָכֶם:

G-d expresses His frustration with the Jewish People, who always think they know better and never listen, no matter how many times He tells them.

24) But they did not listen, and did not care to hear; they went according to their notions, according to the evil sentiments of their hearts; they regressed, and did not progress.	(כד) וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא הִטּוּ אֶת אָזְנָם וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּמֹעֵצוֹת בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם הָרָע וַיִּהְיוּ לְאָחוֹר וְלֹא לְפָנִים:
25) From the day that your ancestors left the land of Egypt until this day, I kept sending you all My servants, the prophets; first thing every day they would be sent.	(כה) לְמִן הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָאֶשְׁלַח אֲלֵיכֶם אֶת כָּל עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים יוֹם הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ:
26) But they did not listen to Me, and did not care to hear; they stiffened their necks, they did more evil than their ancestors.	(כו) וְלוֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי וְלֹא הִטּוּ אֶת אָזְנָם וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת עָרְפָּם הֵרֵעוּ מֵאֲבוֹתָם:

G-d warns Yirmeyahu that his message will also fall on deaf ears.

27) You will say to them all of these things, and they will not listen to you, you will call to them, and they will not respond to you.	(כז) וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם אֶת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְקָרָאתָ אֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא יַעֲנוּכָה:
28) And you will say to them: This is the nation that did not listen to the voice of Hashem their G-d, and did not respond to criticism; faith has been lost, banished from their mouths.	(כח) וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם זֶה הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לוֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל ה' אֱ-לֹהָיו וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר אָבְדָה הָאֱמוּנָה וְנִכְרְתָה מִפִּיהֶם: ס

The final straw, the unforgivable sin, worse even than putting idols in the Beit HaMikdash itself, was the practice of burning children to the pagan god Molech. This took place in the valley outside the walls of Yerushalayim called "Gei-ben-Hinnom", the origin of the word Gehenom. Likewise, the word for the location of those altars, Tofet, now means "horror."

29) Rip out your tresses and discard them, carry a lament upon the heights, for Hashem has rejected, He has abandoned the generation of His wrath.	(כט) גָּזִּי נִזְרֵךְ וְהַשְׁלִיכִי וּשְׂאִי עַל שְׁפָיִם קִינָה כִּי מָאַס ה' וַיִּטֹּשׁ אֶת דּוֹר עֶבְרָתוֹ:
30) For the sons of Yehudah have done evil in My eyes, says Hashem; they placed their idols in the House upon which My Name is called, to defile it.	(ל) כִּי עָשׂוּ בְנֵי יְהוּדָה הָרַע בְּעֵינַי נְאֻם ה' שָׂמוּ שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם בַּבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שְׁמִי עָלָיו לְטַמְּאוֹ:
31) They built altars at Tofet, which is in the valley of ben-Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire - which I did not command, and never entered My mind.	(לא) וּבָנוּ בָּמוֹת הַתֹּפֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּגֵיא בֶן הִנֹּם לִשְׂרֹף אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת בְּנֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל לִבִּי: ס

The punishment for worshipping death will be death and destruction.

32) Therefore, now the days are coming, says Hashem, they will not be called Tofet or the valley of "ben Hinnom," but rather, 'the valley of killing,' they will bury in Tofet, from lack of space.	(לב) לָכֵן הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם ה' וְלֹא יֵאָמֵר עוֹד הַתֹּפֶת וְגֵיא בֶן הִנֹּם כִּי אִם גֵּיא הַהֲרֵגָה וְקָבְרוּ בְתֹפֶת מֵאֵין מָקוֹם:
33) The corpses of this nation will become feed for birds of the sky and beasts of the land; there will be no one to scare them away.	(לג) וְהָיְתָה נִבְלַת הָעָם הַזֶּה לְמַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד:
34) I will strike from the cities of Yehudah, and from the suburbs of Yerushalayim, the voice of mirth and the voice of joy, the voice of a groom and the voice of a bride, for the land will become a ruin.	(לד) וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי מֵעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּמֵחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה כִּי לְחָרְבָּה תִּהְיֶה הָאָרֶץ:
8:1) At that time, says Hashem, they will take out the bones of the kings of Yehudah, and the bones of his ministers, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the residents of Yerushalayim, from their graves.	(א) בָּעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם ה' יוֹצִיאוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹת מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת שָׂרָיו וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֵת עַצְמוֹת הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֵת עַצְמוֹת יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם מִקִּבְרֵיהֶם:
2) And they will lay them out before the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they had loved, which they had worshipped, which they had followed, which they had pursued, which they bowed to; and they will not be gathered and not be buried; they will become fertilizer upon the ground.	(ב) וּשְׁטָחוּם לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְלַיָּרֵחַ וּלְכֹל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲשֶׁר אֲהֵבוּם וַאֲשֶׁר עֲבָדוּם וַאֲשֶׁר הָלְכוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַאֲשֶׁר דְּרָשׁוּם וַאֲשֶׁר הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם לֹא יֵאָסְפוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ לְדֹמֶן עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה יִהְיוּ:
3) Death will be preferable to life, for all the remainder of what is left, from this evil family; in all the remaining places to which I will fling you, says Hashem Tzva-ot.	(ג) וְנִבְחַר מָוֶת מֵחַיִּים לְכֹל הַשְּׁאֵרִית הַנִּשְׁאָרִים מִן הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת בְּכָל הַמְּקֹמוֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרִים אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתִּים שָׁם נְאֻם ה' צְבָא-וֹת: ס

So as not to end on such a terrible note, the Haftarah skips to the next verse that is not talking about destruction, which is almost two chapters later. G-d tells us once again what it is He wants from us: to not be so full of ourselves, and to just do what He asks: kindness, justice, and righteousness.

9:22 So says Hashem: let not the wise revel in his wisdom, let not the strong revel in his strength, let not the wealthy revel in his wealth.	(כב) כֹּה אָמַר ה' אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעָשְׁרוֹ:
23) Only this should one revel in: studying and knowing Me, for I am Hashem, doing kindness, justice, and righteousness, in this world, for this is what I desire, says Hashem.	(כג) כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי ה' עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם ה': ס